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garnish

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word garnish different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of garnish are adorn, beautify, deck, decorate, embellish, and ornament. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

Where would adorn be a reasonable alternative to garnish?

In some situations, the words adorn and garnish are roughly equivalent. However, adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

How are the words beautify and embellish related as synonyms of garnish?

Beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

When can deck be used instead of garnish?

The synonyms deck and garnish are sometimes interchangeable, but deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

When is decorate a more appropriate choice than garnish?

While in some cases nearly identical to garnish, decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

When is it sensible to use embellish instead of garnish?

The words embellish and garnish can be used in similar contexts, but embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

How do ornament and embellish relate to one another, in the sense of garnish?

Both ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original.

a white house ornamented with green shutters

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of garnish
Noun
Equal parts gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, stirred and served with an orange peel garnish. Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 31 May 2025 Keep it simple with a classic paprika garnish or take it up a notch with one of our other deviled egg recipes that play with different flavors and fun garnishes. Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 8 May 2025
Verb
The Department of Education paused its plan to garnish Social Security benefits for defaulted student-loan borrowers, a process that was initially set to take effect when the administration restarted student debt collections on May 5. Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 3 June 2025 Serve the chicken with the salad, garnished with additional chives. Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for garnish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for garnish
Noun
  • Along with a glimmering Christmas display of ornaments and decorations, the Guamans have collections of garden and holiday gnomes.
    Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2025
  • For some, July 4th gatherings focus on fireworks, games, and decorations.
    Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 16 June 2025
Verb
  • The 10-screen theater at the Village at San Antonio Center is decorated with robot toys, a wall of movie posters featuring robots and even has Dumbots, an upstairs lounge with a name inspired by some of the less-intelligent bots in movie history.
    Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 21 June 2025
  • The nymphs look like large black ticks decorated with white spots.
    Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 18 June 2025
Noun
  • Their handbags would be architectural in shape, sleek and spare of overwrought ornamentation.
    Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2025
  • The Raw Edition from Copenhagen Distillery is a clear statement of intent, avoiding ornamentation and putting instead process and material at the forefront.
    Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
Verb
  • The hats’ modern shape take inspiration from the traditional Panama hat, updated and adorned with wide ribbons — a signature of the Sant Angelo brand.
    Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 20 June 2025
  • The living quarters center around a cloister courtyard that is lined with dramatic arched colonnades and adorned with a stone wishing well.
    Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • The proud parents coordinated with their Christmas tree, which was filled with matching ornaments.
    Kayla Grant, People.com, 23 May 2025
  • The white wash paint is distressed for an antique look, and the scalloped legs are accented with botanical ornaments.
    Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 17 May 2025
Noun
  • That would open up the possibility of garnishment, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
    Chris Morris, Fortune, 24 June 2025
  • So people who are facing a smaller federal benefit as a result of garnishment are likely in a panic, said Nancy Nierman, assistant director of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program in New York.
    Annie Nova, CNBC, 1 June 2025
Noun
  • Both were for the young, the inexperienced, and for people whose reality was dull enough and sturdy enough to make fantasy or imagination a desirable escape or a necessary adornment.
    Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 15 June 2025
  • The Row arguably makes our favorite luxury version for everyday, with strappy detailing and a jewel-like adornment.
    Lara Oliveri, Vogue, 10 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Garnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/garnish. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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